A Kick to the Head
by Yugao
Summary: Julia tries to coax King out of fighting, but he won't let her off that easy.


**_A Kick to the Head_**

_**Yugao**_

**_Summary: _**Julia tries to take the easy way, and get past King with her soothing words, but he won't let her get off that easy.

**_Author's Note: _**Okay, I know what you're thinking – a JuliaKing fic? Have I gone mad? Unfortunately (because I would very much like to be crazy), no. I'm still very sane, and I'm writing this fic while not wasted or stoned. Thank you very much. Please enjoy.

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own Julia, King, Marduk, Armor King, or anyone/anything else mentioned in this story, except of course the story itself.

* * *

"King, stop. It's pointless to fight." 

The world-renowned wrestler didn't look at her as she spoke, instead staring up at the sky. It was the strangest color he'd ever seen it wear – grayish-green, surrounded by floating gauzelike clouds and illuminated by a half-moon. Around him were bright, beautiful flowers – tulips, daffodils, he couldn't recognize most of them. He wasn't the sort of person to know these things.

King continued to look around, and noted that the whole garden was encased by wrought-iron gates and low stone walls. It was a beautiful place to be in, but the task at hand and the smell of flowers distracted him.

Flowers…

_He'd taken off his mask and in-ring garb that day, traded it in for a suit to match the somber feeling in his spirit. He'd made sure everything was in order, that all the flowers were fresh, that the guests were all sent invitations, though he had double-checked that only the day before. _

_He supposed he only tried to keep himself busy to take the heavy feeling off his chest._

_"My dear brothers and sisters…"_

_As the priest gave his sermon before Armor King's grave, his protégé's mind wandered. Armor King was as a father to him. In all the time he spent there in the WNW, he was the one who trained him, taught him all he knew._

_And now he was gone._

_Dead._

_All because of that bastard Craig Marduk._

"You're strong enough. Don't let Marduk's words get to you."

He finally looked at her, not through the eyes of King, the pro-wrestler who had so readily and so frequently broke his opponents' bones and crushed them into submission, but the human within, that had broken through the hardened shell when his mentor had died.

"_King!"_

"_New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice," wasn't so nice for King that night, as he looked up to the electronic billboard when his name was called. _

_He clenched his fists. The voice was Craig Marduk's, as was the big, bulky body. But what angered him the most was black jaguar mask he wore._

"_Hey, you scaredy cat," the Vale Tudo expert laughed at his own pun. "I know you're watching me. I demand a rematch! If you can work up enough courage, come face me in the fifth Iron Fist Tournament."_

_Marduk tore the mask off and threw it over his shoulder carelessly. "When you beat me last time, it was a fluke! A fluke, damn it! If you ever gave a shit about your beloved teacher you will fight me."_

_A little smirk crossed the man's face. "See you there."_

_With that, the electronic billboard returned to showing its usual advertisements. Everyone around turned their eyes to him, and he clenched his fists tighter so that his nails dug into his skin._

"_I won't let him disgrace my master."_

"There's no way I'm giving up," he told her, but it came out as no more than a low growl. As tempting as her offer was, she knew what she was doing. She was getting into his head, coaxing him to give up before the fight even began. No, he wasn't like that. She wasn't getting off that easy.

"Okay. You leave me with no choice. I won't let you go on."

Julia Chang. He'd heard her name being announced alongside his when the matches were being called. He knew not why she entered the tournament, but it couldn't be as important as his own reasons. She was just a little girl.

She was shorter than he was, but it wasn't evident by the way she stood up tall and proud. Her long brown braids fell all the way past her back, and her whole outfit reminded him of a cowgirl from the Westerns he used to watch with Armor King after training.

He couldn't allow himself to feel any compassion. She was in the way of his revenge.

He began the match with a toe kick to her gut. He grabbed her around the shoulders and followed it up with a DDT, smashing her face into the ground. A big, green toad leapt away from them, wanting dearly to get away from the fight.

As she got up, she countered with a low kick and an uppercut, forcing him to the ground before she jumped, and with both feet landed on him with full force. She took a few steps back to wait for him to get back up.

He rolled forward, just in time to deflect a right hook from the Native American. He crouched down to kick her knees repeatedly, trying to bring her down. She fell, and he locked in the Figure Four Leg-lock, one of his favorite moves. He'd cracked bones with that move, and would be surprised if Julia didn't get back up with spaghetti legs.

He stood back up, turned and jumped in a Moonsault, making her double over with the pain. He leaned back up, bending his knees just a little to wait for her to stand once more.

He stood too close to where she lay, because she very quickly reached out for his feet and pulled him back down. She kicked him as he tried to stand again, but he evaded her every blow.

She dragged her left hand down in an axe handle, kicked him low and dropkicked. _She's strong for a girl, _he reluctantly admitted.

But he wouldn't let himself be stopped here.

He grabbed onto her slim waist, hoisting her up and throwing her back down in a vertical suplex. He repeated this twice, slammed her forcefully to the floor and ended the death combo with a v-driver that left her knocked out.

_Way too quick, _he thought as he backed away. Somewhere, an announcer called out his win, and a few paramedics lifted the limp girl up on a stretcher, and off to an ambulance. Everything around him seemed to pass from his memory quickly.

He looked down at his gloved hands, and wondered.

_What am I fighting for?_

"_Stop, King."_

_Would this be what Armor King would have wanted?_

"_It's pointless to fight."_

_Is this what I want?_

"_You're strong enough."_

_What am I trying to prove?_

"_Don't let Marduk's words get to you."_

_To myself? To Marduk? To everyone else?_

Like a kick to the head the realization hit him, hard. It completely destroyed the firm, haphazardly made decision of coming after Craig Marduk after he was challenged in public. He started to wonder if he was still walking in the footsteps of his master, or walking down the road to his demise.

But he couldn't turn back now. He'd come too far.

"Watch out, Marduk!" he growled, "I'm coming for you!"

**_Author's Note: _**Okay, that's all, thank you very much. Can I hound you for reviews? Pretty please?


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